Metering and shakedown means for



Jan. 24, 1956 M. RIDLEY METERING AND SHAKEDOWN MEANS FOR CEMENT GUN APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Shae t 1 Filed May 11, 1953 mm M. R/DLEV,

IN VEN TOR.

HUEBNER, BEEHLER, WORRE L 8 HERZ/G,

ATTORNEYS.

Jan. 24, 1956 1. M. RIDLEY 2,732,107

METERING AND SHAKEDOWN MEANS FOR CEMENT GUN APPARATUS Filed May 11, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IAN M. R/DLE'Y, M if INVENTOR.

HUEBNER yBE'EHLE/i, WORRE L 8 H5 R2 16 9 79 ATTORNEYS.

8a a J0 United States Patent METERING AND SHAKEDOWN MEANS FOR CEMENT GUN APPARATUS This invention relates to cement gun apparatus and the like, and more particularly to a new and improved inlet means adapted to improve the efiiciency of the apparatus and simultaneously to reduce the compass while increasing the capacity of the apparatus in a manner to achieve a structure capable of passing rigid requirements for safety and ease of operation in a valve of this general character.

It has been difficult in corresponding structures known to the prior art to obtain a machine of relatively small size capable of delivering a continuous supply of material with a minimum crew. If the upper inlet valve is of a previously utilized vertically reciprocating type, no substantial amount of material storage is possible in the inlet hopper thereabove due to inability to close the valve against the superimposed load. Also, the downward opening movement of the valve materially reduced the capacity of its associated chamber. Consequently a greater number of valve operations was required to achieve an equivalent volume of material delivery and the efficiency of the apparatus was significantly impaired.

It is therefore among the objects of this invention to increase the efficiency, and decrease the amount of equipment and labor required to deliver a desired quantity of cementitious and/or sandy material from the subject apparatus.

In view of the above and other considerations, it is among the objects of this invention to provide a new and improved air placement apparatus. 7

It is likewise among the objects of this invention to provide a new and improved means for the handling of materials in the process of air placement.

Another object of the invention is the provision of new and improved inlet means for promoting an optimum flow and usable capacity in the material chamber of an apparatus of the character described;

Another object of the invention is the provision in an apparatus of the character described of an inlet means having new and improved operative and structural features.

A further object of the invention is the provision in combination with a new and improved inlet construction, of new and improved means for operating the same and the associated equipment.

Another further object of the invention is the provision of a new and improved apparatus and mode of operation associated therewith, of utmost simplicity of construction, ease of use, and efiicacy in its intended performance.

This invention also has among its objects the provision of improvements over prior art devices heretofore intended to accomplish generally similar purposes, and the disclosure of new and improved methods of passing cementitious sandy material or the like into and through a delivery chamber for air placement, including permitting use of larger material quantities compared to analogous prior art apparatus and methods, and preventing bridging or crowding of the material at and against the inlet orifice in a manner interfering with the intended operation.

Other and more specificobjects and advantages will appear and be brought out more fully in the following specification considered with reference to the accompanying drawings throughout which like parts are designated by like numerals.

In the drawings: a

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view, parts being cut away, of a preferred form of cement gun apparatus embodying this invention.

Figure 2 is a detail view of the outlet and metering device.

Figure 3 is a top view as on a line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a sectional view looking up as on a line 4-4 of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view, enlarged, as on a line 5-5 of Figure 1.

The general apparatus herein described by way of example but not of limitation may also be of a general type illustrated and described in my Letters Patent No, 2,569,952, or Letters Patent No. 2,594,072. Other modifications of the general design of the apparatus may be made within the skill of one familiar with the art.

In the preferred embodiment of the drawing, the general apparatus 10 comprises a hopper 11 having a bottom outlet 12 communicating with an upper air-tight housing 13, which in turn communicates with a housing 14, defining a feed chamber 15, communicating with the interior 16 of the housing 13 through a feed inlet 18 controlled as by a ball type or hemispherical valve 19. A sliding valve 20 controls the inlet to the upper chamber 16, as will be described.

The upper housing 13 is tapered to facilitate and funnel the flow of sand and cement or other materials from the hopper 11 through the upper chamber 16 and into the lower chamber 15, the latter also preferably having frusto-conical walls 21 for directing the cementitious sandy or aggregative material 22 towards a discharge orifice 23 leading through a preferably tapered passage 24 to a transverse outlet passage 25 connected with the discharge hose 26 for discharging the subject materials to a place of use.

The apparatus above described also includes a hose, or the like 27, connected to a source of compressed air, not shown, which by means of suitable pipes 28 and valves 29, 30 and 31, selectively direct the compressed air into the chambers 15 and 16, and/or the hose 26. By other pipes, as 32, and valve 3.3,said air is operatively connected to an air motor 34, which rotates a shaft 35 connected in any conventional and desired manner to a gear box 36 adapted to rotate a metering spider 37 and agitators 37' by means of its shaft 38 and any suitable, preferably floating chucks, optionally of a type described in said patents above referred to.

The spider 37 preferably comprises opposed arms 40 having ends 41 adapted to make sliding or floating contact with a correspondingly shaped recess upper faced portion 42-43 of an outlet seat 44 defining the outlet 23. Other opposed arms, as 45, similarly straddle'the outlet 23 of the ends 46 thereof, preferably'terrninating in a plane spaced slightly upwardly from the angular step 47 around which, and optionally against which, the legs 41 revolve.

The ball valve 19 and sliding valve 20 are operatively secured to handles 50 and 51 by means of any suitable linkages 52 and 53, at any convenient station desired.

An agitator generally designated at 60 can be secured,

if desired, as by suitable brackets 61, to the ball valve 19.

Preferably, however, said agitator arms 37, adapted to rotate with the drive shaft 38 are utilized with or even without said agitator 60. In any event, as illustrated, said agitator 60 can further comprise a plurality, as three, of circumferentially spaced dependent fingers 62, 63 and 64, respectively hinged to the bracket 61 by means of Patented Jan. 24, 1956 horizontal pins 65, around which the upper end 66 of each finger is looped. The fingers 62, 63 and 64 may be of any desired shape, but are preferably elongate flattened iron strips, as shown. They are of a length most advantageously adapted to engage or hang in contiguity with the frusto-conical wall 21 of the discharge chamber in the raised position of the ball valve 19.

In order to comprehend a greater circumferential area within the chamber 15, so as to effect a greater body of the subject material 22, any suitable means, such as horizontal rods 70, are secured, as by welding, at spaced intervals along the strapped fingers 62, 63 and 64. The agitator arms 37' can be of any suitable shape, size and number and can be releasably keyed to the shaft 38 or welded thereto within the skill of the art.

In the environment of the above described apparatus, the inlet valve, generally designated at 2%), is positioned at the lower end of the hopper inlet 12.

Said valve 26 comprises a plate 75 horizontally movable by the handle 51 from a closed position beneath the inlet 12, i. e., to the left-most extreme position as shown in Figures 1, 3 and 4, for example, to an open position at a right-hand extreme of movement relative to said Figures 1, 3 and 4. In said movement, the plate 75 is supported and guided along tracks 76 and 77 in opposed parallel relationship on opposite sides of the inlet 12.

The tracks 76 and 77 comprise, in their preferred embodiment, individual castings secured as by bolts 78 to any suitable frame members 79, welded or otherwise secured within the housing 13. A plurality of inwardly directed pins or abutments 80 extend in spaced parallel relationship along the respective castings and are most desirably formed at their upper edges, at least, with slightly flattened portions directly slidably engageable with the underside of the plate 75 at the opposite parallel side edges 81 and 82 thereof. Such flattened portions 83 of the pins 80 prevent excessive Wear on the pins by the slidable movement of the plate 75 thereover. In addition, however, the tracks 76 and 77, including said pins 80, and the plate 75, are machined and formed of hardened steel to ease operation and resist wear.

The plate 75 is formed as with a downwardly directed web 83', including any suitable additional reinforcement 84 formed thereunder. A part of the web 83 is operatively secured as by a bolt 85 to a control shaft 86 extending horizontally through the wall of the housing 13 at a suitable packing gland 87 adapted to prevent the leakage of air pressure within said housing to the outside.

The shaft 86 is also hingedly secured as at 88 to the handle 51, which by virtue of the linkage 53 is reciprocal horizontally upon the pins 89 and 90. A suitable stop 91, extending outwardly from the housing, limits the extent of inward movement of the shaft 86 and retains the plate 75 in spaced relationship from the adjacent wall of the housing 13 to prevent injury to the latter.

The forward and also optionally the rearmost edges 92 and 93 respectively of the plate 75 are curved about a vertical axis to conform to the curvature of the housing 13 and are also tapered downwardly.

The outlet 12 is formed with an annular recess thereunder, adapted to receive the bulk, say three-quarters, of the body of a rubber or rubber-like O-ring 94, which is retained in said recess by crimping of the margin 95 of the outlet wall or other such O-ring accommodating structure against the body of the O-ring so as to retain the same securely at the bottom of the outlet 12, but in a manner preferably permitting the same to be uncrimped or stretchably removed from said recess in order to permit replacement by another such O-ring as may be necessary in the event of wear.

In the operation of the above described apparatus, sand, cement, or the like, is poured into the hopper 11, which may be of any size, and which may also be piled as high as practicable with concrete mix, and/ or sand or the like, thence, at intervals corresponding to near depletion of the materials in the chambers 15 or 16, it is dropped through the outlet 12 by the valve 20, by manipulation of the handle 51, drawing the plate from under the inlet 12. From the chamber 16 the material is next introduced into the delivery chamber 15 through the inlet 18, preferably by manipulation such as oscillation of the handle 50, which, through the linkage 52, causes the ball valve 19 to move in vertical reciprocative action, carrying with it the optional agitator 60.

The material is metered by the element 37, or its like, through the outlet 24 at the bottom of the apparatus and through the discharge hose 26 to a place of use in the general manner described in the above mentioned patents.

When the plate 75 is withdrawn from the outlet 12, the leading edge thereof 92, is nevertheless retained in engagement with the O-ring 94, with which it preferably engages with sufficient force to compress the O-ring upwardly to some extent, so as to retain the plate with yieldable downward pressure against some of the pins for their slidable retaining movement against the bottom of said plate.

Said tapered leading edge 92 of the plate, in moving inwardly to the left, as illustrated, for closing the inlet 12, has a scraping action against the O-ring to scrape said O-ring free of any accumulated matter and insure a tight, clean seal against the upper side of the plate. The resilience of the O-ring also makes it possible for the plate to slide over the pins 80, notwithstanding temporary interposition between the plate and the pins of granules of sand, thereby, upon continued sliding movement of the plate in its plane along the pin, dislodging any such sandy or other material. The resilience of the O-ring and the compressibility thereof likewise accommodates for wear between the plates and said pins 80.

Additionally, the spacing of said edge 92 from the wall of the housing 13, as aforesaid, prevents the packing of sand, and the like, between said edge and said Wall, a desired result which is furthered by the tapering of said edge 92.

In devices of the prior art, where a valve of the type 19 was also installed at the inlet 12, the full capacity of the upper chamber was never utilized to full advantage, because of the fact that in moving downwardly the valve of the type 19 partially occupied the chamber 16. The instant slide valve, however, makes it possible to have excess material stored above the gun in readiness for charging the gun when needed. In the case of the other type valves, there can be no excess material in contact with the cone valve, for such material would prevent a seal, for one thing, and besides that, excessive material in any appreciable amount would make it impossible to move the valve at all. With the slide valve, it is possible to store tons of material above the gun, if desired, for the slide valve acts as a knife, slicing through the material, selfcleaning its contact face against the very rubber O-ring which creates the seal when the air pressure is applied.

The instant slide valve 20 moreover retains the advantage of the valve of the type 19 in that said air under pressure introduced into the chamber 16 forcibly presses the plate 75 upwardly against the O-ring 94 to assist the hermetical seal desired at the outlet 12 during operation and when said valve 20 is closed. The instant construction also avoids the necessity for weak welded seams and provides a construction which readily passes the most rigid legal requirements for safe coded construction. In addition, with the instant apparatus, the operating crew may be reduced by one-third with the same degree of efficiency and total volume of operation as that possible with the prior art devices.

Although I have herein shown and described my invention in what I have conceived to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is recognized that departures mav be made therefrom within the scope of my invention,

which is not to be limited to the details disclosed herein but is to be accorded the full scope of the claims so as to embrace any and all equivalent methods and means. Thus, for example, the pins 80 may be substituted by ball or roller members, or the like, preferably horizontally spaced abutments between which the sand may fall but upon which it will not stay when the plate 75 is moved thereacross, within the teaching of the instant disclosure.

I claim:

1. In an apparatus for air placement of cementitious materials, and the like, comprising a hopper means and a housing means including a material inlet for the housing adapted to receive said materials from the hopper means, and valve means including a plate for said inlet, the improvement comprising guide means for said valve means, said guide means comprising horizontally spaced abutments defining openings therebetween, said abutments being adapted to engage said plate at spaced points thereunder at opposite side edges of said plate.

2. In an apparatus; for air placement of cementitous materials, and the like, comprising a hopper means and a housing means including a material inlet for the housing adapted to receive said materials from the hopper means, and valve means for said inlet, the improvement comprising guide means for said valve means, said guide means comprising horizontally extending spaced pins at each side of said material inlet.

3. In an apparatus as defined in claim 2, said pins having flat portions on the tops thereof adapted to engage said valve means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,142,567 Jensen June 8, 1915 1,185,118 Mae Michael May 30, 1916 1,301,167 Renkin i Apr. 22, 1919 1,309,671 Weaver July 15, 1919 1,655,558 Meyer Jan. 10, 1928 1,684,370 Sehuster Sept. 11, 1928 2,299,565 Colburn Oct. 20, 1942 

